Mary Abbott, who passed away in 2019, was one of the last living artists present for the birth of — and who participated in — the Abstract Expressionist movement in New York City in the late 1940s.
A descendant of John and John Quincy Adams, Abbott's father, Naval Commander Henry Abbott, served in Roosevelt’s war cabinet. Her mother, Elizabeth Grinnell, was a poet and syndicated columnist and her aunt, Mary Ogden Abbott, was a well-known sculptor and big game hunter. Abbot’s childhood was spent between New York; Boston; Washington, D.C.; Concord, MA; and Southampton, NY.
As a child Abbott aspired to be a herpetologist and an artist. She took classes in D.C. with Eugene Weiss at the Corcoran School and later in New York at the Art Students League, studying with George Gross and Morris Kantor. Introduced to André Breton and the expat Surrealist group in New York by David Hare, Abbot joined the Subjects of the Artist, an unorthodox school run by Hare, William Baziotes, Mark Rothko and Barnett Newman. In the late 1940s Abbott worked with Rothko and Newman and fostered a lifelong close relationship with Willem de Kooning.
Find a collection of original Mary Abbott paintings on 1stDibs.
“Untitled”
By Mary Abbott
Located in Southampton, NY
Original oil pastel on archival paper by the renowned New York artist, Mary Abbott. Signed lower right. Untitled. Circa 1970. Condition is very good. Presently unframed. Sheet size ...
Oil Pastel, Archival Paper
$600
H 17 in W 16.5 in
"Untitled Pastel #7, Contemporary Landscape Drawing, 2008"
By James Wilson Rayen
Located in Franklin, MA
James Wilson Rayen's 'Untitled Pastel #7' depicts open green fields with a loose, sketch-like quality in this 17 x 16.5 inch pastel on paper. From a series of studies of summer rural...
Oil Pastel, Archival Paper
$566
H 11.7 in W 16.54 in D 0.79 in
May Green, Contemporary Impressionist-inspired Oil Pastel, 30x42cm, 2026
By Gabriel Riesnert
Located in AIX-EN-PROVENCE, FR
Work : Original artwork inspired by the Impressionist style, Unique Work executed entirely by hand by the artist. Subject : May Green (Title) The piece celebrates springtime renew...
Oil Crayon, Oil Pastel, Archival Paper
Cross Up
By Catherine Koenig
Located in Buffalo, NY
An original realist pastel drawing by American female artist Catherine Koenig.
Archival Paper, Oil Pastel
"You In That Dress" Oil Pastel Drawing of Legs, Undressing
By Lauren Rinaldi
Located in Philadelphia, PA
This 14in x 11in original oil pastel work by Lauren Rinaldi ships in the pictured archival custom frame measuring 15in x 12in. Lauren Rinaldi works using unbiased portraits of women...
Oil Pastel, Archival Paper
"Truer Than True" Ballpoint Pen Figurative Portrait Drawing
By Lauren Rinaldi
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Original drawing by Lauren Rinaldi float mounted in the pictured simple white frame measuring 17in x 14in. Lauren Rinaldi works using unbiased portraits of women’s bodies as a veh...
Archival Paper, Ballpoint Pen, Graphite, Oil Pastel
"Control C" Framed Portrait Drawing, Work on Paper
By Lauren Rinaldi
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Original drawing by Lauren Rinaldi float mounted in the pictured simple white frame measuring 17in x 14in. This is an original artwork made with colored pencil, ballpoint pen, graphi...
Archival Paper, Ballpoint Pen, Graphite, Oil Pastel
$1,155
H 27.56 in W 39.38 in D 0.12 in
Tulips, Touch : paper, oil pastel, 70x100cm. Very Thick paper
Located in Zofingen, AG
A masterpiece exploring tactile intimacy, floral movement, and the infinite. This large-scale 70x100cm paper composition captures a sublime transition from vibrant organic textures i...
Oil Pastel, Acrylic, Archival Paper
$700
H 18 in W 11 in
Caught: Original Oil Pastel and Graphite Drawing, Contemporary Art
By Lauren Rinaldi
Located in Philadelphia, PA
"Caught" is an original oil pastel, ballpoint pen, and graphite on arches paper work by Lauren Rinaldi. This piece ships float-mounted in the pictured white frame. The paper measur...
Oil Pastel, Archival Paper, Ballpoint Pen, Graphite
$700
H 18 in W 11 in
It’s Complicated: Original Oil Pastel Drawing on Archival Paper
By Lauren Rinaldi
Located in Philadelphia, PA
"It’s Complicated" is an original oil pastel, ballpoint pen, and graphite on arches paper work by Lauren Rinaldi. This piece ships float-mounted in the pictured white frame. The pa...
Oil Pastel, Archival Paper, Ballpoint Pen, Graphite
Koi Pond in Pastel
By Bartolome Sastre
Located in Austin, TX
A piece from Bartolome Sastre's mixed media on paper collection. 11.25" x 8.5" Pastel and pencil on paper
Oil Pastel, Archival Paper, Pencil
$3,500
H 22 in W 19 in
Dining Room Interior, Impressionist Pastel Drawing by Joseph Barber
By Joseph Barber
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Joseph Barber, American (1915 - 1998) Title: Dining Room Interior Year: circa 1945 Medium: Watercolor and Pastel on Paper, signed l.l. Size: 15 x 21 inches (38 x 53.5 cm) Fra...
Oil Pastel, Archival Paper
$1,040
H 22.45 in W 31.89 in D 0.08 in
Air Tulips: Mixed, paper, acrylic, oil pastel, 57x81cm
Located in Zofingen, AG
‘Air Tulips’ is an immersive journey into the very heart of a bloom. In this large-format mixed media work (57x81 cm), the tulips are not just flowers—they are a vibrant, breathing f...
Oil Pastel, Acrylic, Archival Paper
Sold
H 4 in W 5.5 in
"Postcard Geometry" Mary Abbott, Geometric Abstract Crayon on Paper Composition
By Mary Abbott
Located in New York, NY
Mary Abbott Postcard Geometry Signed lower right Crayon on paper 4 x 5 1/2 inches Among the early exponents of Abstract Expressionism, Mary Abbott created powerful oil paintings in...
Paper, Crayon
Untitled (3)
By Mary Abbott
Located in Columbia, MO
Born in 1921, Mary Abbott was a first-wave Abstract Expressionist, producing some of the best and earliest examples of fully abstract work with a dramatic sense of movement and infus...
Gouache, Linen, Paper, Oil Crayon, Watercolor
Untitled (4)
By Mary Abbott
Located in Columbia, MO
Born in 1921, Mary Abbott was a first-wave Abstract Expressionist, producing some of the best and earliest examples of fully abstract work with a dramatic sense of movement and infus...
Paper, Watercolor
Untitled (5)
By Mary Abbott
Located in Columbia, MO
Born in 1921, Mary Abbott was a first-wave Abstract Expressionist, producing some of the best and earliest examples of fully abstract work with a dramatic sense of movement and infus...
Paper, Watercolor
Untitled (6)
By Mary Abbott
Located in Columbia, MO
Born in 1921, Mary Abbott was a first-wave Abstract Expressionist, producing some of the best and earliest examples of fully abstract work with a dramatic sense of movement and infus...
Paper, Watercolor
Sold
H 19.5 in W 16.75 in
"Untitled" Mary Abbott, Abstract Expressionist Collage, Ninth Street Women
By Mary Abbott
Located in New York, NY
Mary Abbott Untitled, circa 1953 Signed with initials lower right Oil and torn paper collage 17 x 14 1/2 inches Provenance: Thomas McCormick Gallery, Chicago Private Collection, New York (acquired directly from the above) Exhibited: Athens, Georgia, Georgia Museum of Art, Suitcase Paintings...
Paper
Abstract Expressionist Summer Flowers
By Mary Abbott
Located in New York, NY
Among the early exponents of Abstract Expressionism, Abbott creates powerful oil paintings of spontaneous, gestural brushwork with highly creative color use. Lauded for her energy an...
Canvas, Oil
“Red Poppies”
By Mary Abbott
Located in Southampton, NY
Pastel and watercolor on arches paper mixed media work of art by the American artist, Mary Abbott. Signed in pencil lower right. Tack holes in all four corners. Condition: Good. ...
Oil Pastel, Watercolor
Prescence
By Mary Abbott
Located in Palm Desert, CA
An abstract oil on canvas by Post War, Abstract Expressionist artist Mary Abbott. Prescence is executed in deep, saturated blues, with lines of yellow and red...
Canvas, Oil